


(Someone Else's) Sick Day

by brigitwritesstuff



Category: I Made America (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, STRICTLY A PLATONIC SHIP, i'll have none of your sinning today internet, jaroline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-08 23:35:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6880075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brigitwritesstuff/pseuds/brigitwritesstuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A while back I got some asks speculating about how Caroline would like James if they met. I was thinking about it again and made this fic. I hope you like it!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

One Thursday, all of the founding fathers had plans for their mornings. Ben was finally going in for his interview at the Chicago Tribune, Alex was scheming around for money, Thomas had band practice, and John and George had to go to work. James would be left alone if everyone left. Knowing that was a bad idea, they had to make one person cancel. In the end, it was the person who'd spent the least time with him: George. That had been by design, as they didn't get along in the 18th, 19th or 21st centuries. No one else gave a damn though. It was his turn.

          So he called in to work and told them he had to stay home and take care of his sick friend. His boss, who loved him, didn't mind. Neither did his other coworkers, though they missed him. But Caroline did mind - a lot.

          As usual, there was a mountain of things for him to sign. She saw it as the perfect excuse to yell at him some more. However, she didn't want to wait until the next day. To quell the desire to torment him, she got his home address and went to his apartment with all his work.

          Knocking on the door, she couldn't help but smile a little to herself. She thought it was funny how scared he got when she got mad at him. Did that make her "evil" or "mean"? Maybe. But she didn't really care enough to stop.

          Much to her surprise, George didn't answer the door. Instead a short, pale, sickly man opened it. He squinted his eyes at her like he was trying with all his might to recall her name, though they'd never met before. Quietly, he asked "Did you cut your hair?"

          "Um, no? Well, yes, but not in a while. Who are you?"

          "Uh..." He didn't answer. He was too preoccupied by inspecting her face. "Did you cut it for the winter because it is too hard to wash?"

          "No, actually. I cut it because I like it like this."

          "Oh." He tilted his head and scratched his ear. "I don't think I know you."

          "Probably not."

          The man sighed and leaned against the doorframe dramatically. "That's too bad."

          From another room in the apartment, she heard George's voice calling "James? James?"

          She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. It was almost time to mess with him again. The man didn't react to either her or his friend.

          George entered the living room and saw the two of them at the door. "Caroline?"

          "George, you can't just skip work like this. You have things to do." She held out the stack of papers. "I guess it's wishful thinking to imagine you doing any work at home when you don't even do it in the office."

          Unlike other times, he completely disregarded her words. "Was he trying to get out?"

          She was taken aback that he didn't listen to her. "Huh? No, he answered when I knocked."

          "James, you can't just traipse around the place and open the door for anyone. You never know who it will be."

          He mumbled in response and let George take him to the couch to sit. Caroline invited herself in, finding herself very interested in the little guy.

          "James, do you remember why you can't answer the door like that? Who might be at the door?"

          "It's done. Would you shut him up? And the metal carriage will leave you in the dust."

          George clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to scream at him to just say something comprehendible. He noticed Caroline was watching them. "He is very ill."

          "He looks like it."

          "This is the first time I've had to care for him."

          She smiled with that shit-eating-grin again. "Well, you're as good at this as you are at your real job."

          "I can find no respite from your insults even in my home I see."

          She walked over and sat on the couch beside James. "You have to see if he has a temper."

          "No, his forehead is as cold as any other."

          She scoffed. "With a thermometer, genius."

          "I've heard of it before, thank you very much. Does everyone use them for illness now?"

          "Yes, they do. I guess you don't have one."

          "No."                                                           

          "Fine, I'll go get one."

          It bothered him that she was suddenly taking control of even his personal life. "Oh, don't do that."

          "Don't tell me how to do your work for you." She smiled at James, who was watching her intently again. "How are you feeling?" She asked in a saccharine voice.

          He grumbled, somewhere in there saying her name.

          "I'm going to the store. I'll get some things he might need."

          Before George could further protest, she was gone. When she got in her car, she called work and told them she had to go home early. That was the first time in a long time she'd ever missed a day.


	2. Chapter 2

About an hour later she returned with a bag of different things neither of the men understood. James laid out on the couch and Caroline crouched on the floor beside him. George stayed at a safe distance, standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She got out the digital thermometer and showed it to James. "This goes in your mouth until it beeps."

          He frowned and scrunched up his nose like it was something disgusting.

          "Don't worry! It's not going to hurt you! Open up."

          Reluctantly, he followed her instructions and let it sit in his mouth.

          "No silly, it goes under your tongue!" She giggled at him. He laughed along and corrected his mistake. The whole while George watched them, dumbfounded.

          It went off. His temperature was only 97 degrees. She showed him on the little screen.  "It says here that you're not burning up, so that's good."

          He grinned. She reached into the bag and took out a white bottle. "Are you in pain?"

          He nodded. This was nothing new.

          "Well then you take these." She screwed off the top and removed two blue pills. "You won't hurt so much if you have these."

          "Ah." He nodded, and tried to take them from her hands.

          "Oh, not yet! You need to swallow them with water." She looked at George. "Hey, make yourself useful and get him some water."

          Angrily, he did as she said. He came back with a glass, which she took while giving him a bitter glare. The expression melted away to sweetness when she looked at James. "Alright, sit up so you don't spill."

          He propped himself up on the arm of the couch and took the first pill, quickly drinking to bring it down. For the second one however, he had much more trouble. He spat the water out back into the glass and coughed very hard. Caroline got up and sat beside him, patting his back.

          "Oh, shh shh! It's ok, it's ok. Don't overwork yourself."

          He took deep breaths and attempted to calm himself.

          "Good, good. Keep doing that. Look, I'll do it too." They stared at each other and she mimicked his slow breathing. After a few times doing that, James laughed. "You have no cause to copy me!"

          She joined him. "But I'm comforting you!"

          He leaned his head against the couch. "Thank you."

          "No problem. You're so nice!"

          He smiled, not saying anything in return. As much as he thought she was as well, he knew it would be betraying George to say such a thing.

          Speaking of George, he saw that as the perfect chance to kick her out. "So, I think I can handle things here now."

          "Can you? Because he was having a terrible time before I showed up."

          "Well now he is better having had you here."

          She huffed and stood up. "Fine, I'll go. But don't come crying to me when he's feeling bad again."

          "Oh, I won't."

          Before leaving, she waved to James. "Bye!"

          He smiled at her. She and George exchanged angry glances, and she was gone.

          The two men were silent and simply sat around for a while. Eventually, George looked at James and said "You don't even have to do anything to bother me."


End file.
